Philip Rosedale – Founder of Second Life and High Fidelity: A pioneer in virtual worlds, Rosedale’s Second Life was one of the first platforms to popularize virtual social interactions. His later venture, High Fidelity, delves into shared virtual realities with spatial audio and VR integration.
Brenda Laurel – Virtual Reality Pioneer: Having been part of the early VR movement in the ’90s with projects like “Placeholder”, Laurel’s understanding of VR’s potential in creating social connections is profound. She offers valuable insights on how VR transforms human interactions.
Palmer Luckey – Founder of Oculus VR: Luckey’s Oculus Rift reignited the VR movement in recent years. With Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus and its push towards “Horizon Workrooms”, the discussion around VR social spaces is more pertinent than ever.
Dylan Flinn – CEO of Shadow Factory: An expert in VR and AR narratives, Flinn’s take on virtual social networks often delves into the storytelling and emotional connection aspects, exploring how we relate to each other in virtual spaces.
Isabelle Olsson – Lead Designer for Google Glass: While Google Glass wasn’t purely a virtual social network, Olsson’s insights into augmented reality’s role in social interactions provide an interesting dimension to the conversation.
Yasaman Sheri – VR and AR Designer: Sheri has worked with companies like Microsoft and Google, focusing on how AR and VR can be harnessed for meaningful human connections. She often discusses the ethics and nuances of social interactions in virtual spaces.
Ben Lang – Co-founder of Road to VR: As someone deeply embedded in the VR industry, Lang’s takes on the latest advancements in virtual social networking are both insightful and comprehensive, given his vast experience.
Jeremy Bailenson – Founding Director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab: Bailenson’s work revolves around studying the nature of human interactions in virtual environments, making his insights grounded in rigorous academic research.
Rony Abovitz – Founder of Magic Leap: While Magic Leap focuses on mixed reality, Abovitz’s vision of an interconnected virtual and physical world has significant implications for the future of virtual social networks.
AltspaceVR Team: AltspaceVR is one of the foremost platforms for social VR experiences. The brains behind this platform regularly share insights about the challenges and innovations in virtual social networking.
